Here’s some more about Anita’s background: Anita Lillie is a data interface designer, developer, and visualization specialist. For over 12 years, Anita has worked to create visualizations that make data clear and actionable in a wide range of fields, including genetics (Stanford), music (MIT), mobile (Nokia Research), social networks (LinkedIn), and healthcare (Practice Fusion), and most recently as a consultant to some awesome data startups. Anita has a B.S. in Mathematical and Computational Science from Stanford and a Masters from the MIT Media Lab.

Anita currently works on the data science team at Practice Fusion, a health technology startup in San Francisco. When she isn’t working, Anita is usually on a bike trail near Skyline, climbing rocks or eating dessert.

Women 2.0: How do you typically spend the first hour of your day?

Anita Lillie:A hearty breakfast of course! And a tiny bit of caffeine. My morning routine is truly a “routine.” I do the exact same things every morning at the same time: tea and yogurt and fruit, quick email scan, shower and leave. I know that might sound like the military… but I have a train to catch!

The moment I leave the house I’m walking and riding the train for the next 1.5 hours, and I use this time to think, reflect and set my priorities for the day.

Women 2.0: Who was an early role model who inspired your career in tech?

Anita Lillie: Honestly, I can’t name just one. I’ve been inspired by all the people around me, from my parents to my teachers to my peers and colleagues. There is a piece of every person around me who inspires me to be, or not to be, like that person. I just have to be mindful of what I think that piece is, and how I want to incorporate it into my life.

Women 2.0: What do you love about your job?

Anita Lillie: I feel fortunate to have found something that I am both good at and I enjoy. It’s the kind of job that I would hire myself for.

Day to day, my greatest joys come from working with smart, amazingly fun people and getting to combine creativity with nerdy technical skills.

Women 2.0: What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

Anita Lillie: (Couldn’t pick just one…)

Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable.

Ask questions without worrying what other people think of them.

Prioritize sleep.

Early on, say ‘Yes’ a lot. You’ll get to practice saying ‘No’ a lot later. 🙂

Women 2.0: What are a few apps or tools you couldn’t live or work without?

Women 2.0: What did you learn from your greatest failure? (And if you’d like to share what it was, we’d love to hear it!)

Anita Lillie:I see my life as a series of failures, and I think that’s a good thing. My career (and life) has been a constant process of trying and failing, and trying and succeeding, to find a path that works for me. I enjoy this process very much and see failure as a way of learning about myself and the world.

When I try to think of what my “greatest failure” has been, I immediately think of the time early in my career (about a year out of college) when I didn’t try very hard to make my job worthwhile for myself. However, I know that I took that time because I was burned out from years of school and doing what others expected of me, so I really needed a break. In retrospect, this was a turning point for me in that I started doing what *I* expected of myself. It also taught me the value in taking the time to rest in any transition, in order to spur more growth later.